My recap of the Mo’Betta Gumbo preview event on The Armory blog

Posted on | January 21, 2013 | No Comments

My recap/review of Mo’Betta Gumbo in downtown Loveland was published on The Armory’s blog today: http://thearmoryworkspace.com/blog/new-downtown-mo-betta-0

Here’s a slightly longer draft I created before I edited it down for them:

My love of New Orleans, and Louisiana’s culinary heritage, started with a family vacation to The Big Easy when I was in grade school that included a Pete Fountain concert, amongst other memorable experiences. It grew through the opportunity to experience Mardi Gras from a local/insider’s perspective a few times thanks to some good friends. Most recently I visited NOLA a couple of years ago to run the Mardi Gras Marathon.

I was happy to hear that Chef Clay Caldwell was opening Mo’Betta Gumbo in the space on the northwest corner of Garfield and Fourth Street in downtown Loveland where you used to be able to get a gyro fix. I was thrilled to score an invite to their private preview event this past Friday.

In what amounted to a private party, the Chef, his wife Tina, and team (including an assistant chef, wait staff and hostess) hosted around 300 people over a four-hour period. We enjoyed a small selection of items planned for the menu, along with a keyboard + vocalist duo providing life entertainment from a tiny stage area in the front window.

After two visits to the kitchen and sampling everything the night’s limited menu offered, we left quite full, and to Tina’s repeated pleas to stay and eat more. Our plates included:
-An excellent crab cake po’boy that featured lots of crab meat, light, crispy bread, fresh tomatoes and lettuce, and what we guessed was a spicy mayo-based sauce to pull it all together.
-A beef-tenderloin crostini with the beef done just right, medium rare.
-A scoop of grits with cheese and shrimp – a rich, creamy combination that used a tangy, sharp cheddar.
-A hearty sausage and chicken gumbo served over rice.

There was also an ambrosia-style fruit salad that we did not sample. The beverage selection included a very interesting rosemary-infused berry drink, with fruit mixed in a bit like a non-alcoholic sangria. Some might find a bit on the too-sweet side. We decided it might be even better if cut with a bit of soda water, or even some rum or vodka.

The interior is still recognizable, but they’ve made some changes for the better. The feel is definitely casual, kitschy, and fun. The west wall features chalkboard paint, where the menu has been written. Below that, recycled bathtubs held canned beer and sodas. The space is lit by clusters of 80s-era upcycled smoked-glass-and-brass lighting fixtures.

The kitchen is now in the far back, in what used to be an “orphan” space that has spent time as an art studio and had been rumored to become a bread shop or ice cream spot in the past. That allowed them to take out the food prep/service counter in the front of the house and open up the main dining area to seat more patrons.

If this tasting menu is an indication of the Chef’s abilities, and I have every confidence that it is (I heard on Friday night that this is his 27th restaurant opening), I’m excited to return and see what else is on the slate once Mo’Betta Gumbo opens to the public – especially when the promised boils are offered. That’s scheduled to happen this Friday, January 25th for lunch, dinner and late night fare.

Mo’Betta Gumbo, 141 East 4th Street, Loveland, CO 80537, www.mobettagumbo.com.

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